Vaughn said that he is not opposed to a bond proposal if it is warranted, but that he felt that this proposal was extravagant.

"If there's a need I would like to see some detailed plans," he said by phone. "We support the school board and hope they'll get a program together."

The $120.3 million plan called for the creation of three new elementary schools in the district at a cost of about $50 million. A new C.O. Wilson Middle School would have been built for about $32.8 million and extensive remodeling to Nederland High School would have cost about $24.5 million. Other improvements the bond would have funded include the addition of air conditioning to Central Middle School's physical education and athletics facilities, and a new, $1.74 million press box for Bulldog Stadium that would overlook $1.3 million worth of field turf.

About $400,000 was slated for the purchase of land for future work at the high school and another $500,000 would have funded alternative education space modifications.

The new schools would have been the first built in Nederland since the high school was constructed 38 years ago. The average age of the district's seven schools is about 50 years, the oldest of which is Langham Elementary, which was built in 1939.

Vaughn has said that he would prefer that the district's schools are upgraded, which would cost less, while Superintendent Gail Krohn has argued that new construction would cost only $5 million more per school than renovations, which she said would only add 10 years to the lifetime of each building.

The proposal would have cost a homeowner with a home valued at $135,000 about $550 more in taxes than last year, according to figures from the school district.

However, opponents and supporters of the bond measure disagreed over the long-term tax impact.

Krohn said she believes misinformation about the bond proposal contributed to its defeat, noting that opponents claimed that taxpayers would be paying an extra 49 cents per $100 valuation for the next 30 years. In reality, she said, the tax rate would go up by 49 cents for only three years and only if all of the bonds were issued at once. The bond issuance would likely be staggered, she said.

Vaughn told The Enterprise that the school district has been using optimistic calculations for property values, estimating growth of 5 percent per year for five years and 3 percent for each year thereafter.

"If they're going to project property values will go up, then the tax rate would go down, but you can't count on that," Vaughn said, noting that the country is in the midst of a recession.

Krohn said she expects that fears about the economy contributed to the bond proposal's defeat.

School officials will soon begin discussing an alternative plan, she said, including the possibility of upgrading the district's school buildings. ???????????????